Mama Greenest's Summertime Local Challenge 2013

Our blogger sets some new challenges for this year

Shannon Gallagher

At the end of last week’s post (a.k.a. The Rant) I mentioned a summertime local challenge. I’ve wanted to do something of the sort for a long time. Basically I vowed to not buy any produce from the grocery store, with the exception of lemons and avocado since we use them every day and they don’t grow around here. This means all fruits and vegetables have to be procured from farm stands and farmer’s markets, and of course our farm share and garden. I see many benefits to this: it guarantees our food is super fresh, it supports local agriculture, it encourages creativity in the kitchen by forcing me to cook with what I have, and it cultivates patience by removing the immediate gratification of big box store variety.

Cultivating patience. That seems to be my catchphrase for 2013. This year I found myself undertaking all sorts of little challenges, from a nasty weeklong liver detox juice cleanse to 40 days of yoga. What I’m discovering is that exercising my will to meet short term goals is bringing larger, long term goals into focus and cultivating not only patience, but willpower and grit. And I need all the help I can get in that department: In September I’ll return to school full-time in pursuit of a massage therapy license. It’ll take two years, plus an additional year or two to get a second, more specialized license. While I’m very excited to be a student again, juggling a full courseload, my clients, and Coraline promises to be difficult and overwhelming. Taking on school means sacrificing my “me” time and a lot of my mommy time, the latter of which makes me so sad, and admittedly pretty scared, too. It also means that my time as Mama Greenest must come to an end. I’ve been blogging about my parenting misadventures for almost five years now, and it’s brought me a lot of joy. The last week in July will be my final post — I hope you’ll stick with me until then.

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About This Blog

Shannon Gallagher

Rhinebeck, NY

Dutchess County native Shannon Gallagher is a contributing editor for Hudson Valley Magazine. An erstwhile thrill-seeker, these days she courts disaster of a different variety wrangling a spirited toddler, honing her vegan baking skills, and chasing the ever-elusive work-family balance. She teaches Pilates and does fascial bodywork, and lives in Rhinebeck with Coraline, a cat named Otie, and Sushi the Fish (named, of course, by the toddler).